Tantrums and meltdowns, especially in public can piss off even the most cool and patient parents. Between the ages of 1-7, nearly all the kids express their needs and anger by screaming, crying, kicking and throwing items. What you as a parent, need to understand and accept is, just because your kid has a major meltdown they are not brats. They are normal kids who are struggling to understand how to deal with the emotions. They are expressing their frustration in the only way they know – crying and screaming. But what are you supposed to do when you are out at a birthday party or a friends place and they have a tantrum?

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“Can I have a turn when you are done please?”

Doesn’t sound magical?

But it bring about amazing results in the middle of typical childhood squabbles.

Sharing and turn taking are things we value as adults, but they are extremely vague concept for kids. Most of the time, kids really only understand how they work when it comes to making sure they get their turns! Through their developmental lens, many preschoolers adhere to the philosophy that “What’s your is mine and what’s mine is mine.” This is why “He’s not sharing!” or “She took my toy!” is such a frequent complaint at preschools and play dates.

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